Beginning this summer, students in the Executive M.B.A. program will be able to choose Healthcare Management as their area of concentration. The program is offered to working professionals through a convenient hybrid learning format.

“We are responding to a need in our state for more home-grown managers and administrators who understand and are uniquely qualified to formulate innovative solutions to the health care challenges facing Arkansans,” said Matt Waller, dean of the Walton College. “The Executive M.B.A. program in health administration is a great opportunity for the Walton College and UAMS College of Public Health to collaborate to benefit health care across all of Arkansas.”

The Executive M.B.A. program offers a unique mix of online classes and face-to-face classes one Saturday each month. This new partnership adds to the uniqueness by giving students the opportunity to take health care courses through the Health Administration Program at the UAMS College of Public Health. The Healthcare Management program will also be offered as a stand-alone certificate through the UAMS College of Public Health.

“We are beyond excited to be working with the Walton College on this effort,” said Mick Tilford, professor and chair of the Health Policy and Management Department at the UAMS College of Public Health. “Students can either earn a certificate in Healthcare Management or take the courses with them to continue on in the Executive M.B.A. program at the University of Arkansas.”

The program is designed for individuals seeking formal training in health care management such as clinicians desiring advancement into leadership roles; new leaders in need of health care management training, especially health care reform; and human resource managers moving into health care organizations.

“It has been a pleasure to collaborate with Dr. Tilford and his excellent colleagues at UAMS College of Public Health on this program,” said Anne O’Leary-Kelly, Walton College’s senior associate dean. “We look forward to deepening the relationship and to making a difference in the health care arena in Arkansas.”

To be considered for admission, an applicant must have a bachelor’s degree and three or more years of professional experience in a management position or have a clinical or professional degree.

“We seek to enroll 20 experienced professionals without formal management training into the program,” Tilford said. “There is a need for executives that have formal training in business and health care management.”

The Healthcare Management curriculum is made up of four classes and can be completed in just two semesters. Courses include: The Health Care System, Health Law, Healthcare Quality Management and Information Systems, and Introduction to Health Systems Financial Management.

Get more information about the Executive M.B.A. program at the Walton College at gsb.uark.edu/executive-mba or by contacting Mike Waldie at MWaldie@walton.uark.edu.

To apply or for questions about enrolling in the Healthcare Management Certificate program, contact Jordan O’Roark at jjoroark@uams.edu or Rick Ault at rault@uams.edu.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,870 students, 799 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.